“Paris has a timeless familiarity for first-time and frequent visitors, with more architectural icons than any other city along with glorious food, stylish shopping and priceless artistic treasures” writes author Catherine Le Nevez.

What’s new in this edition?
Lonely Planet authors Catherine Le Nevez, Christopher Pitts and Nicola Williams have hunted down the fresh, the transformed, the hot and the happening. A selection of their favourites are:

1.Louvre Flying Carpet
The interior courtyard of the Louvre’s Cour Visconti, housing the new Islamic art galleries, was crowned by a shimmering gold “flying carpet” roof in late 2012.

2. Musee Picasso Reopening
From summer 2013, after four years of renovations, the Musee Picasso, housed inside a beautiful 12th-century Marais mansion, will once again display thousands of the master’s works.